Page 1 of Cougar

Prologue

*Five months before Rambo’s epilogue*

Two pink lines.

Shit.

Two very faint pink lines are staring back at me as I huddle in the bathroom at work. I thought it was the sushi Cormack brought in from 7/11 a few days ago. I told myself it was just that, but crawling into day five of being sick to my stomach and my boobs hurting like a mother fucker, plus the test, I can’t continue to lie to myself.

I used to be able to crawl into tight places or haul my short ass over the side of a truck with no problem, but now any little bump and I am holding back a yell.

Last night I ran to the drug store by my place after work but couldn’t bring myself to take the test. It was a box I didn’t want to open yet. It caused me to think of too many things.

Am I happy with the guy I’m seeing? For the most part, but there is something there that he isn’t sharing.

Kline started with us at the garage a few months ago, and right away, I knew he was a smooth talker. He knew how to get my attention when we went out for a drink after work with the boys, and one thing led to another, and we started seeing each other on the down low.

His reasons for not telling anyone at work were that he was the new guy, and I was the only woman who worked there. He didn’t want it to be a thing that started policies having to be put in place. So, we would meet up after bar nights and on weekends. But we always used protection, and I am on the pill. There shouldn’t be two pink lines.

“James! You on your rag?” My boss bangs on the stall door, startling me, causing me to drop the test and watch in horror as it slides out and hits his dirty work boot. “Shit.” I hear him mumble. I slowly open the door, avoiding his eyes as I pick up the test. My gaze fixed on his boots.

“I am sorry, Hal. I didn’t plan on this.” The tears start welling in my eyes, and I cannot control the emotions coming out.

“I knew this was a risk when I hired you. You would start a family, and I would lose one of my best mechanics. But I didn’t know you were even seeing anyone. Are you okay?” Hal rubs his face looking more worried about me than his business. I chew on the inside of my lip and think about outing me and Kline and our flourishing relationship.

“I have been kinda seeing someone for a few months,” I whisper, tears still falling down my face. Shaking his head, he puts a fatherly arm around me and leads me from the bathroom to his office. I sit in one of the oil-stained chairs facing his messy, clutter-filled desk.

“You need to take a few moments to calm yourself down. I know stress is not good for that little one you are growing. My wife and I have had a few misses over the years, and I don’t ever want to see you go through that.” Hal, the sweet but gruff aging man, said before leaving me alone in his dank, musty office.

All I can hear is the hum of the machines outside the door, the guys mulling about and yelling at each other over something. The cliché classic rock is playing over all that. I look around the office, trying to find a spot to focus on, a way I have found that calms me from the inside out.

Then I see it, the busted-up file cabinet just sitting there. The top drawer is either stuck or has been carelessly left open. One of them is labeled personnel. I slowly get up from the chair and slink my way over. While we had been sleeping together for a while, I had never been to his place. We were always at my trailer. He said it was because he had roommates, and his brother was staying with them. At the front of the drawer was Kline’s folder. I shot a quick glance over my shoulder and listened hard for any clue that footsteps were making their way back to the office.

There was nothing, no sounds coming my way, so I looked at his address on file. I don’t know where this is, but I had a gut feeling that my world, which was currently cracked, would completely fracture when I make my way there.

***

Forty-five minutes from the shop, I pull up in my old red jeep in front of a cozy little ranch-style home nestled in the suburbs on the outskirts of Seattle. I look at the post-it note I scribbled the address on and back to the house. This didn’t look like the dingy apartment he described sharing with a few other guys. It looked like a family home out of a forties dream, with a white picket fence, beautiful flower gardens, and kid’s toys scattered about. It might be his parents’ home because he doesn’t trust his roommate with his mail, right? I ask myself. The front door swings open, and three small kids come tearing out of the house. All are screaming with glee and joy, followed by a roaring Kline, like he was the big bad monster going to eat them all up.

There was movement at the door again, and there stands the perfect woman. Long legs in yoga pants, a tight t-shirt, long blond hair in perfect beach waves, and from where I am, it looks like she has flawless skin. She is watching Kline and the kids play with a smile. I see her hands slowly rub her stomach, which is swollen with another child. Maybe this is his sister. Right? But as I watch them interact, I know the truth.

“Does he have a sick breeding fetish?” I mumble out loud. I can’t look away, but seeing how happy they are, and how great he is with those kids, I can’t show up and shatter it. It’s not like he and I were some great love. We met for beers and a fuck, and no promises were exchanged. The red flags were plenty when it came to him, but I didn’t expect him to be living this kind of double life. I’ll figure it out myself and do what I must do.

My musings and thoughts about what I’ve discovered are broken when Dragula by Rob Zombie plays over my speakers—the ringtone I set for Uncle Rob. I think about sending it to voicemail, but he never calls me, so I answer over Bluetooth and drive away from this fake happy place.

“Hey, Uncle Rob, what’s going down?” I try and hide the emotion in my voice.

“Hey, baby doll, I was hoping you were thinking about gracing us with a visit?” He says, slightly out of breath. Honestly, this call couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.

“I mean, I was just thinking about a change of scenery. I can make coming there the plan.” I exhale the breath I didn’t know I was holding, taking this as my moment to start over fresh and away from complications I don’t need.

“Good, because some things are going funny here, and I think your dad needs you a bit closer.” Uncle Rob sighs, my ears perk at the mention of my dad and him needing me.

“What’s up? When do you need me?”

“A friend of ours, Rambo, and his kids were threatened. I think it’s bringing back some old wounds your dad hasn’t fully dealt with. I think you being close will help him.”

“You got it. I’ll call my boss, get some stuff packed, and be on the road. I can be there in a few days.” I signal to get onto the freeway and back to my place.

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